Media programming to provide an integrated entertainment experience

ABSTRACT

Embodiments of the present invention are described in which a plurality of mediums are selectively programmed with media content to provide an integrated entertainment experience to consumers. The content that is provided on different mediums is synchronized to provide different events, perspectives or experiences associated with a common storyline. Additional embodiments of the present invention are described in which commercial sponsorship of a program is provided within a storyline, such that sponsors are identified for purposes of brand recognition, or products and services from the sponsor are advertised/marketed or otherwise made directly available for purchase by consumers through synchronized programming of media content among a plurality of mediums.

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.10/278,849, filed Oct. 24, 2002 (and which issued as U.S. Pat. No.7,640,561 B1 on Dec. 29, 2009), which claims the benefit of U.S.Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/330,545, filed Oct. 24, 2001, whichis incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to media programming forconsumer entertainment and to the provision of entertainment programmingas a medium for marketing goods and services to consumers.

2. Background of the Invention

1. Television Industry Overview

In the early years of television, networks sold entire blocks of airtimeto corporate sponsors, who in turn assumed responsibility for coveringall costs associated with producing a desired program to be aired duringa sponsor's purchased time slot. Typically, advertising agencies werebrokers through which sponsors and networks negotiated programmingdetails such as sponsorship pricing and the selection of a time slot(i.e., day and time that the program would be aired), the program'ssubject matter, and which actors were to star in the program. In returnfor sponsorship, television programs were named after the respectivesponsor (e.g., “Admiral Broadway Revue” and “Texaco Star Theater”) toimprove a sponsor's brand recognition and marketability amongst anational viewing audience.

Continuing into the 1950's, television programs were live broadcaststhat were aired only once to the viewing public. Unlike movies, whichwere carefully scripted and created over periods of months or evenyears, television programs were created much more quickly as daily orweekly episodes. Live broadcasts were associated with a sense ofexcitement and cache that attracted viewers, and accordingly, televisionnetworks did not believe that viewers would be interested in seeingre-broadcasts of filmed television programs. However, beginning with thefilming of the “I Love Lucy” show (which apparently was filmed onlybecause its stars, Desi Arnez and Lucille Ball, desired to reside in LosAngeles despite that “live” television cameras and broadcasttransmitters were available only in New York at the time), a marketbegan to develop for re-broadcasting taped television programs andeventually blossomed into syndicated television programming.

As television became a more established medium for entertainment in thelate 1950's, actors' salaries and television production costs continuedrising to a level for which fewer sponsors desired to cover the entireexpense associated with a program. At the same time, to fill “dead airtime” when no sponsored program was scheduled, networks began producingprograms that had no sponsorship at all, with the hopes of creatingviewer interest that would attract an advertising sponsor in the future.In 1960, television network NBC created a “magazine show” format inwhich multiple advertisers shared the costs of sponsoring a specifictelevision program. Instead of carrying the burden of sponsoring anentire show, advertisers purchased one or more 30 second breaks in timeto air a commercial for marketing the sponsor. This format soon becamethe standard for network broadcast television, and aside from the“subscription” model provided by some cable television networks, itremains the predominate format for sponsorship of television programstoday.

2. Overview of How Television Shows are Typically Produced by TelevisionNetworks

Present-day television programs are usually developed either byindependent television production companies or by television networksthemselves. An idea for a television program is usually generated bycreators (“executive producers”) who, in the case of independentproduction companies, are represented by agents that sell the concept tonetworks or studios. In either case, the shows are “pitched” to networksto commission a “pilot” for the show to evaluate an initial script.Whether the pilot and any additional episodes are ever aired on anetwork depends in part upon the subjective opinions of networkexecutives and the marketability of the television show concept amongstprospective viewers and advertising sponsors.

The costs of production and proceeds from a television show arerespectively borne and distributed depending upon who is “producing” theprogram. Often, a television “studio” may pay the costs of producing aprogram for a network, including the creative writing and productionstaff, in return for receiving a license fee from the network for theright to air the show, along with a percentage of any potentialsyndication proceeds. The network then sells advertising spots duringthe television show with the expectation that advertising revenues willexceed the license fees and other network-related expenses. Unlessnegotiated otherwise, the network usually decides when to schedule theairing of the program and for how long the show will air.

3. Categories of Television Programming

Although television is continually exploring new and innovative themesand stories as an entertainment medium, the basic format of a televisionprogram traditionally has typically been associated with one of a fewwell-defined categories consisting of situational comedy, dramaticseries, mystery, news and information/variety show. While the plot forsome television programs successively develops and unfolds over courseof different episodes (e.g., soap operas), other television programsexplore a new story or situation in each succeeding episode that isexperienced by a common cast of characters, with only an occasionalreference back to earlier stories (e.g., situational comedy). In eithercase, the primary intention of the television network is to develop andgrow a loyal viewing audience of interest to corporate advertisingsponsors who pay for commercial breaks in programming.

As Americans become increasingly inundated by various types ofentertainment media, entertainment providers strive to devise uniqueprogramming to capture the attentions of their audiences. For example,television networks recently have created “participation” programmingthemes in which non-actors participate in a show or members of theaudience vote to determine the outcome of the program. For sometelevision shows, networks additionally have sponsored Internet websitesto provide a resource for viewers to learn about actors or review recapsof past episodes.

One type of participation programming that is currently popular amongtelevision networks is described as “reality-based” televisionprogramming, where non-actors are placed in a fabricated environment.Most reality-based shows offer publicity or prizes to lure participantsinto joining the show. The participants typically are then immersed in acompetition in which they are willing to behave absurdly to win thevaluable prize. Viewers also enjoy the novelty of watching “real” peopleand seeing how they react under a series of unique circumstances. Due tothe competitive nature of the program, viewers are likely to stay tunedso they can see which contestant is leading the competition.

“Audience participation” shows featuring another type ofparticipation-based television programming in which viewers are enabledto contact the television network via telephone to vote and assist indetermining the direction that the show takes. Audience participationtelevision programs typically involve a competition where the audiencedetermines the winner. As with reality-based shows, viewers are enticedto watch every episode of audience participation shows in order to seewho is leading the competition. These shows also draw in viewers becausethey feel significant to the show and have a responsibility to ensurethat the most deserving contestant wins the prize. In a variation ofthis theme, the audience is able to assist a game-show contestant.

With the advent of the World Wide Web, some television networks provideinternet websites to foster additional interest in certain televisionshows. Most commonly, such internet sites contain information such asprogram schedules, summaries of past episodes, and information about theactors, the writers, etc. These materials may be considered to be usefulby viewers who are interested in learning more about a television show.By providing re-caps of prior shows, viewers can stay up-to-date with astoryline even if they miss an episode.

4. Other Forms of Sponsorship

There are other known forms of forms of media sponsorship or“sponsorship elements.” The term “sponsorship element” means marketingmaterial that forms part of, or is superimposed on, broadcast programmaterial and includes (but is not necessarily limited to) on-screencorner logos, opening and closing billboards, stings, squeezebacks, theon-air depiction of, or referral to, any brand, product or name, ribbonsand crawls, naming rights, and product placements. “Product placement”refers to the depiction of, or a reference to, a product or service inmaterial (other than an advertisement) broadcast, in visual and/or audioform, in respect of which the broadcaster and/or the producer of thematerial concerned receives payment or other valuable consideration, andwhich promotes the interests of any person, product or service.

5. Challenges Presently Encountered in Television Programming andProduction

Similar to the problems in the television industry of the late 1950's asdescribed above, actors' salaries and television production costs arecontinuing to rise, but now to a level at which sponsorship throughtelevision commercial breaks is often insufficient to cover the entireexpenses associated with a program. As a result, it often is simply tooexpensive to risk producing a television show that involves new oruntested themes and formats, since production of an unsuccessful programcould bankrupt a studio and harm a network's image and profitability. Atthe same time, with increased competition from cable television stationsand new broadcast networks, along with popularity of other entertainmentdiversions such as video games and continually-developing,Internet-based entertainment media, producers are pressured tocontinually create new and innovative types of entertainment programmingto increase market share.

Traditional television advertising also faces technical challenges. Newservices like TiVo are being hailed as the “slayers” of traditionaltelevision commercials and mass-market branding. Such services provide“personal TV” that enables viewers to pause live television programmingand watch what they want when they want, as so-called time-shiftprogramming. Most significantly for advertisers is that personal TVenables viewers to skip commercials. The technology is so powerful thateven if the early providers never win mainstream acceptance, traditionaltelevision advertising ultimately will be upended. Accordingly, there isa strong need for both new programming formats for consumerentertainment and improved methods and systems for commercialsponsorship of entertainment programming.

In response to these challenges, some have suggested increasingintegration of advertising into media content. One approach has been atargeted advertising approach. In place of traditional commercials,personal TV services offer broadcasters new ways of reaching audiencesby targeting individual households with specially-tailored commercialsor sponsored programming, or by establishing interactive services orbuilding brand identity through clever product placement. Personal TVtechnology provides an opportunity for advertisers to deliver a targetedmessage by storing consumers' particular viewing habits in hard drivememory that is embedded in each service's set-top box. The hard drivestores consumers' digitally recorded programs and the service'sinteractive program guides. Each night, the guides are automaticallydownloaded from the service's headquarters through a telephone or cableconnection. This information can be used to target a household withadvertisements that are believed to be relevant to the particularconsumers who are watching (e.g., kayaking commercials instead of spotsfor computer equipment).

Some have suggested that the 1998 film The Truman Show was a prescientlook at the future of advertising. The movie is a story of analways-running live TV show, similar to voyeuristic Web cams and realityprogramming like Survivor and Big Brother. In the film, actors andactresses on the “live TV show” tote products within the television showitself as scripted product placements intended to develop brand identity(e.g, actress holds up two cups of “Action Coffee” while wearing an“Action Coffee” apron). The show's producers rely upon such productplacements for revenue because the concept of their show—which is to beaired 365 days a year, 24 hours a day—precludes commercialinterruptions.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the present invention are described in which a pluralityof mediums are selectively programmed with media content to provide anintegrated entertainment experience to consumers. The content that isprovided on different mediums is synchronized to provide differentevents, perspectives or experiences associated with a common storyline.Media content that is provided on one medium may reference (explicitlyor implicitly) to content that is provided on other mediums to encourageconsumers to access different mediums to enhance their experience andfollow the development of the storyline.

In a preferred embodiment, a plurality of mediums are programmed toprovide related media content in a manner that enables consumers toexperience a continuously evolving storyline, as a simulated reality.The storyline includes combinations of fictional scripted stories withactual live events, portrayed by both fictional characters andnon-actors, to present a multi-dimensional story that consumersexperience by accessing different coordinated mediums that havesynchronized media content. Media content is updated on differentmediums with sufficient frequency (e.g., similar to morning andafternoon versions of a newspaper) such that consumers can accessdifferent mediums when desired to experience a simulated reality.

As one aspect of a preferred embodiment, a consumer can enter a portalthat provides centralized access to media content relating to events oractivities experienced by a plurality of characters in an evolvingstoryline. The media content is programmed into a plurality of mediumsthat can be individually accessed through the portal, and each mediumrepresents a different mode for delivery of media content in a differentformat (e.g, newspaper, webcast, web radio, e-mail, etc.). Theprogramming of the mediums is synchronized together such that mediacontent that is accessed at different mediums at any given time periodrelates to events or activities that occur within the storyline duringthat time period. The programming of media content is distributed amongthe plurality of mediums such that no single medium captures each eventor activity that occurs during the same time period in the storyline.New and updated media content is programmed into different mediums invarying intervals to advance the development of the storyline over thecourse of time. In this manner, a consumer can access different mediumsto experience different aspects or components of the storyline that isparticularized for each consumer depending which mediums are accessedand at which times, to enjoy an integrated entertainment experience.

Embodiments of the present invention are described in which a pluralityof mediums are selectively programmed with media content to provide anintegrated entertainment experience to consumers. The content that isprovided on different mediums is synchronized to provide differentevents, perspectives or experiences associated with a common storyline.

Additional embodiments of the present invention are described in whichcommercial sponsorship of a program is provided within a storyline, suchthat sponsored products are identified for purposes of brandrecognition. For example, this can be performed by inserting an actualperson who is affiliated with the sponsor as a character within thestoryline, to provide opportunities to increase brand identity andgoodwill. As a further embodiment, products and services from thesponsor can be are advertised/marketed or otherwise made directlyavailable for purchase by consumers through synchronized programming ofmedia content among a plurality of mediums. The storyline can be createdor modified in accordance with changes in commercial sponsorship.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A is a schematic diagram illustrating integration of programmingof a plurality of entertainment mediums in accordance with an embodimentof the present invention.

FIG. 1B is a schematic diagram illustrating integration of programmingof a plurality of entertainment mediums, where certain entertainmentmediums are grouped together as a centralized portal, in accordance withan embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2A is a flow diagram of steps for selecting mediums to communicateentertainment-related media content information in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2B is a chart illustrating the selection of mediums to communicateentertainment-related media content information in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2C is a flow diagram of steps for determining whether to script areferral in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2D is a flow diagram of steps for selecting entertainment-relatedinformation to communicate as a live event in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3A is a template of a chart listing different “zones” ofexperiences that contribute to a theme or storyline, in accordance withan embodiment of the present invention, with exemplary entries providedtherein.

FIG. 3B is a template of a chart listing different “zones” ofexperiences that contribute to a theme or storyline, in accordance withan embodiment of the present invention, with exemplary entries providedtherein.

FIG. 3C is a template of a chart listing different mediums that canprovide for a particular theme of a storyline, in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention, with exemplary entries providedtherein.

FIG. 3D is a template of a chart listing different mediums that canprovide for a particular theme of a storyline, in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention, with exemplary entries providedtherein.

FIG. 3E is a template of a chart of a twelve month story development andimplementation plan, in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention, with exemplary entries provided therein.

FIG. 3F is a template of a chart of a three month story development andimplementation plan, in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention, with exemplary entries provided therein.

FIG. 3G is a chart of a template of a chart of a weekly storydevelopment and implementation plan, in accordance with an embodiment ofthe present invention, with exemplary entries provided therein.

FIG. 3H is a chart of a template of a chart of a weekly storydevelopment and implementation plan, in accordance with an embodiment ofthe present invention, with exemplary entries provided therein.

FIG. 3I is a chart of a template of a chart of a one day storydevelopment and implementation plan, in accordance with an embodiment ofthe present invention, with exemplary entries provided therein.

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram of steps for inserting sponsorship contentdirectly into a medium in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Several embodiments of the present invention relate to methods andsystems by which a plurality of “entertainment mediums” are selectivelyprogrammed with related media content to provide an integratedentertainment experience to an audience. A medium can consist of anymechanism or mode for communicating media content to an audience, whichcan include both conventional media delivery systems (e.g., televisionor radio) and systems for communication that are not generallyassociated with communicating entertainment-related media content (e.g.,telephones, post mail, and reality placements). A live,actually-occurring activity or event (e.g., professional baseball game,speech at a political assembly hall, etc.) cannot necessarily beprogrammed to include content from a fictional storyline, but can beprogrammed with “related media content” by coordinating to ensure aparticular outcome (e.g., arranging for a fictional character to appearat the live event) or otherwise left to chance as “reality-programming”(e.g., actor portraying fictional character actually tries to sneak intosold-out concert).

Mediums may be comprised of a plurality of “sub-mediums,” each of whichcan be programmed separately and from which consumers can receivedifferent media content. As examples, a “television” medium can includeseveral television stations or programs, an “e-mail” medium may includedifferent e-mail addresses, and a medium for “radio” could be comprisedof several radio stations. Each sub-medium within a medium may beassociated with, for example, a different character in a cast (e.g.,different e-mail addresses for different characters), a differentperspective or interpretation of events that occur in the storyline(e.g., a liberal and a conservative newspaper), or different live events(e.g., Super Bowl, Wimbledon).

As will be explained below in further detail and with reference to theaccompanying figures, the programming of the mediums can be synchronizedtogether such that media content that is accessed from different mediumsat any given time period relates to events or activities that occur in astoryline during that time period. Additionally, the programming ofmedia content can be distributed among the plurality of mediums suchthat no single medium captures each event or activity that occurs duringthat time period in the storyline.

Exemplary Mediums for Integrated Programming

A plurality of entertainment mediums, arranged in FIGS. 1A and 1B, canbe programmed with media content to provide an integrated entertainmentexperience to consumers. The interconnected programming of thesedifferent mediums with related media content to provide an integratedentertainment experience can be described through examples. For example,if a storyline in a television program 100 includes a character whoconstructs a website (or who works at a radio station), a website 102that is accessible to consumers at that URL (or at a web radio station108) can be created with related media content that is synchronized tothe television program 100. As another example, characters from awebcast 106 can occasionally appear as the same character and in thesame role, but on a totally unrelated television show (or on acommercial advertisement during a show) as a “television placement” 104.By integrating programming across these mediums, consumers are referredfrom one medium to another to continue experiencing the storyline as itprogresses.

Producers of a television program can utilize many mediums that are nottypically associated with communicating entertainment media to provide arealistic and integrated entertainment experience. As examples,consumers may place telephone calls and hear messages 110 fromcharacters in the storyline, or otherwise may receive letters or othercommunications from a character through regular post mail 122 or e-mail112. While consumers may read about related stories in a fictionale-newspaper 120, they may also see characters appear at non-fiction,televised events (e.g., sporting events) as a reality placement 116, oreven in an article in a real newspaper 126. By integrating the storylinewith real events occurring in a consumer's typical, everyday life (suchas receiving mail from a character, seeing the character on televisionwatching the Super Bowl, etc.), the consumer is continuously entertainedby the storyline.

There are many other mediums that are capable for inclusion to providean integrated entertainment experience, and the mediums listed in FIGS.1A and 1B are not intended to be exhaustive or limiting. Likewise, notall of the mediums represented in FIGS. 1A and 1B are to be utilized inevery project and storyline for providing an integrated entertainmentexperience—mediums that are appropriate for a particular storyline willbe utilized and programmed with media content when it is determined thatprovision of such media content on the medium will enhance consumers'entertainment experience.

Exemplary Integration of Mediums

FIG. 1A is a schematic diagram illustrating integration of programmingof a plurality of peripheral entertainment mediums 100-122 in accordancewith an embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, each ofthe entertainment mediums may communicate new developments, occurrences,etc. within a storyline, such that no one medium completely captures oris solely responsible for advancing to new content within the storyline.Thus, there is no “central” or “primary” medium. Instead, each medium islogically interconnected to other mediums by being synchronouslyprogrammed to provide different developments or aspects of a storyline.The interconnections in the figure represent possibilities of howmultiple aspects of a story may be communicated through more than onemedium, which tempts an audience member to access these other mediums tofollow each advancement of the storyline.

An objective for synchronizing the programming of related media contentamong a plurality of mediums is to mimic the feel and experience ofthose mediums as they exist in reality, to enhance a sense of realism inentertainment programming. In real life, one does not experience allnews and events through a single source, but instead experiences themcontinuously through a plurality of mediums (e.g., one may hear a briefannouncement of a “breaking news” story on a car radio while driving,and then learn more details through a friend via e-mail, all beforereading a more complete version of the story in the newspaper the nextday). In contrast, a conventional television show only enables viewersto experience a storyline in standard, hour-long episodes or“snapshots,” after which the show and the characters “disappear” untilthe next episode. Thus, the television medium by itself is not intendedto provide the “complete picture”—the viewer cannot visit the town wherethe characters live in the show and see them at the local bar, etc.However, by synchronizing entertainment programming among a plurality ofmediums, the “show” can continually evolve through multiple sources ofrelated media content presented in many different formats. Participatingin an integrated entertainment experience, for example, a consumer maytune to a web-radio station operated by a character in the storyline andhear a brief announcement of a “breaking news” story, and then learnmore details from an e-mail from a character in the show, before readinga full account of the event in the fictional newspaper the next day.Therefore, as in reality, the different mediums “converge” together on astory to simulate an experience as if it is actually occurring.

Since a consumer may not be inclined to access each of the availablemediums, a certain overlap in communicating information from thestoryline is included in different mediums to enable the consumer toremain informed and entertained. Referring to an example provided above,although a consumer may miss a radio announcement of a certain eventinvolving a character in the storyline, the consumer can accesse-newspaper 120 and read about the event the next day in a newspaper.However, consumers will be tempted to continually access differentmediums because the storyline continues to develop over the passage oftime.

In the embodiment as illustrated in FIG. 1A, to determine where and whento access related media content from different mediums, consumers mayneed to be referred from one medium to the next. For example, beforeaccessing such mediums, a consumer needs to know the URL for a websitethat is associated with a character on the show, the e-mail address andtelephone number for another character, and the link for web radioassociated with the town where the character lives. This information canbe provided explicitly or implicitly, perhaps through the context of thestoryline itself as it is scripted.

FIG. 1B is a schematic diagram illustrating integration of programmingof a plurality of entertainment mediums in which a subset ofentertainment mediums are “centralized” at a common entry point, inaccordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. In thisembodiment, certain mediums can be accessed through a central portal.The media content is programmed into a plurality of mediums that can beindividually accessed through the portal, and each medium represents adifferent mode for delivery of media content (e.g, e-newspaper, webcast,web radio, e-mail, etc.).

As in FIG. 1A, the programming of the mediums is synchronized togethersuch that media content that is accessed from different mediums at anygiven time period relates to events or activities that occur within thestoryline during that time period. However, as a preferred embodiment inFIG. 1B, no referral is required to lead consumers to all web-relatedmediums, since they are accessed through a common portal. Thus, it mightonly be necessary (depending upon the circumstances and type of medium)to explicitly or implicitly refer consumers to other mediums that areoutside of the portal (such as a character's telephone number).

In each of the illustrations in FIGS. 1A and 1B, all depicted mediumscan be substituted with other possible mediums, depending on the contextand particular storyline and type of entertainment experience that isbeing programmed.

Exemplary Steps for Integrating a Storyline Among Different Mediums

FIG. 2A is an exemplary method for integrating a storyline amongdifferent mediums. In step 200, a cast of characters are created toparticipate in different storylines associated with an integratedentertainment experience. Particularly, each character can be definedaccording certain attributes, skills and hardships, persona, demographicprofile, etc., which are chosen to be interesting at least to asignificant audience within one or more target demographic groups. It isalso possible to include non-fiction characters, which are non-actorsconsisting of celebrities known for certain attributes, skills, etc.,and other individuals who are not necessarily known to the generalpublic.

In step 202, a plurality of storylines are created, based upon theattributes, skills, persona, etc. of different characters defined instep 200. A storyline is a plot relating to a situation that advances indifferent segments. In many circumstances, a combination of charactersare to be involved in a storyline, although it is possible that astoryline will involve only a single character. The combination ofstorylines that are to be simultaneously (and in an overlapping fashion)present to consumers through an integrated entertainment experience canbe considered a “show.”

For each storyline, in step 204 the development of the plot is dividedinto segments. There is no fixed number of segments, rather, thebreadth, scope, and number of segments that are required to present thestoryline are dependent upon several factors, including the complexityof the plot and the likely level of interest by an audience (perhapsaccounting for specific demographic groups). As will be discussed infurther detail below, the relative interest by commercial sponsorship isalso a highly relevant factor.

In step 206, each segment is associated with one or more mediums bywhich to provide an event or otherwise present the “story” to consumers.In many circumstances, the format by which the event or story will beprovided through a particular medium is the most relevant factor inpairing a segment with a medium. For example, if content for a segmentconcerns a character who is participating in a game show on a radiostation, the “web radio” medium will likely be utilized. In othercircumstances, inter-relationship between particular mediums is arelevant factor. For example, if the segment concerns a town in whichthe football stadium is burned down, news of this event may be coveredin all major news sources, such as television, web radio, e-newspapers,etc., each in a different format. As in step 204, the type of medium(s)selected may also depend in part upon interests of commercialsponsorship.

Once mediums are selected, in step 208 the events that provide the storyfor the segments are defined. Depending upon the medium, other factorsare determined, such as when the event will be provided on the mediumand for how long.

Although scripting may have been performed during any of steps 200-208,the events are now scripted for programming (where appropriate).

Once all of the mediums are determined for the plurality of storylinesthat are to be provided during a common time period, it may be necessaryto add real events and surroundings to particular mediums to increasethe realistic nature of the experience. For example, real news storiescan be added in newspapers (both national and local news), real musiccan be added to web-radio, etc. Further, since characters in a story aretypically in school or are employed, content of this nature isprogrammed in mediums as well to improve upon the realistic nature ofthe show. For example, if a character is a high school student who is aDJ on the school radio station, a web radio station may be included thatis programmed with the character performing as a DJ for several hours aweek.

As described above, certain mediums are characterized by having aplurality of sub-mediums, such as different e-mail addresses fordifferent characters, different web radio stations for different genresof music, etc. Step 206 includes determining whether to program mediacontent into one or more particular sub-mediums.

FIG. 2B illustrates a representation of the process by which mediums areselected in step 206 of FIG. 2A. FIG. 2B is a chart that represents aparticular storyline, involving one or more characters, and series ofsegments (Seg 1-Seg 4) of which the storyline is comprised. In thisexemplary chart, there are four mediums which may be programmed toinclude an event, description or depiction of a segment (web radio, TV,e-newspaper, and e-mail). The medium e-mail is comprised of 4sub-mediums, A-D.

For each segment, an “X” marker indicates whether a medium will beprogrammed to include an event, description or depiction of a segment.The numbering in subscript (X₁, X₂) indicates the order in which thecontent should be provided to a consumer. When two markers have the samesubscript (X₁, X₁), they are to occur nearly simultaneously.

FIG. 2C illustrates steps for determining whether scripting a referral(implicit or explicit) is necessary during step 210 of FIG. 2A.Particularly, as described above with reference to FIGS. 1A and 1B, forcertain mediums, it may be necessary to provide a referral to consumersfrom one medium to another such that the consumer becomes aware that acertain medium is or will be programmed to provide media contentrelating to the next segment or another aspect of the segment in thestoryline. For example, with regard to FIG. 1A, if a character is tobecome an in-studio guest on a campus radio station, the URL forreceiving streaming media from that web-based radio station should beprovided to consumers during a prior segment so that consumers will beable to listen at the appropriate time. However, this referral addressmight not be required for the implementation according to FIG. 1B, ifthe web-based radio station is within the portal having centralizedaccess.

In step 214, the process of scripting program content within mediums iscommenced. Scripting may be performed in linear order, segment bysegment, as indicated in step 216. In step 218, a script is created (ifappropriate) for a medium that had been selected for the segment. Basedupon the type of selected medium and the actual storyline in thesegment, it can then be determined in step 220 whether a referral scriptis necessary. If so, a script in a medium for a prior segment ismodified to include a referral. Finally, in steps 224 and 226, theprocess of scripting program content for each segment is completed.

A type of event that can be included as a segment is a “live event” thatoccurs through a reality placement 116. For this event, the characterwho is involved in the subplot actually appears at a real public forum(such as a sporting event) to add a further sense of realism to theentertainment experience. A difficulty with including such “live events”is that these must be coordinated with the production and airing of thetelevision program, as demonstrated in FIG. 2D.

FIG. 2D is a flow diagram of steps for selecting media content toprovide during the course of a live event, in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention. In step 228, once a medium is to beselected that could be associated with a live event, a check is thenperformed in step 230 for whether the additional medium is to be a“reality placement.” If so, the anticipated date of airtime is reviewedin step 244, along with a real-time event calendar in step 246. Thesesteps must be performed because in order to integrate the realityplacement medium with the television program, the reality placement mustoccur during the week that the segment occurs. If it is determined thatthere is a match in step 248, then the live event is selected in step250, and the event is scheduled and the script for the subplot is editedto include a referral to the specific event.

As an example, consider a segment within a storyline in which acharacter from a small town wins a prize to travel to New York City. Toadd reality to the entertainment experience, the character appears ontelevision in the stands at a baseball game in New York. To create this“event,” it is necessary to determine in advance that the baseball gamewill occur during the week that the character's redemption of the prizeis aired, baseball game tickets must be purchased, and an arrangementmust be made with the broadcaster of the baseball game to focus on thecharacter in the stands during the game.

To provide another aspect of reality to the entertainment experience,non-actors and celebrity appearances can also be included within thestoryline and occur in any of the mediums to provide furtherbelievability that the storyline is a reality.

Implementation Plans and Plot Charting

The creation of a storyline that is to be presented across a pluralityof delivery mediums in a synchronized and integrated format can berather complex, since each delivery medium almost continually is beingre-programmed and updated to provide different aspects of the storylineto thereby simulate reality. To organize the creation and scripting ofthe storyline across these mediums, the methods for creating integratedmedia programming as described in FIGS. 2A-2D can be performed bycreating charts and plans that describe and list prospective subjectmatter content. As an exemplary implementation of these charts, thisinformation can be organized according to (i) “zones” or categorieswithin the storyline, (ii) particular delivery medium, (iii) yearlyoverview (iv) monthly overview, (v) weekly overview, and (vi) dailyoverview, as described with reference to FIGS. 3A-3I below.

FIGS. 3A and 3B are templates of a chart listing different “zones” in astoryline, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention,with exemplary entries provided therein. As a storyline is created, thecreators consider different “zones” within the story that may appeal todifferent subsets of audiences. As an example, if a situational comedyis being created as an integrated entertainment experience, it ispossible that different places that are relevant to a character's life,such as school, home, and work, could be considered as different zones.The template in FIG. 3A provides, for a given zone, a description of thezone and general purpose associated with the zone, and a series ofimplementation methods and examples. As can be seen, the template inFIG. 3A identifies a particular zone—SCHOOL, and in the “ImplementationMethods and Examples” section, descriptions can be provided fordifferent aspects of the “zone,” for which different mediums can becreated to provide an integrated entertainment experience. For example,if the character in the program is attending high school, a “high schoolwebsite” can be designed as a medium by which different events can occurbetween television episodes.

The template in FIG. 3B provides, for another example of azone—GOVERNMENT, and in the “Implementation Methods and Examples”section, descriptions are provided for the “Mayor's Office,” the “TownManager,” the “Chamber of Commerce,” the “Town Council,” etc. The“zones” for a particular show might include “SCHOOL,” “GOVERNMENT,”“ENTERTAINMENT,” “NEWS,” “COMMERCE/SHOPPING,” “COMMUNITY,” and“SERVICES.” In the portal embodiment described with reference to FIG.1B, these zones can be specifically provided within the portal, and canthen lead to mediums by which consumers can access content pertaining tothe “zone.”

In a preferred embodiment in which consumers enter a portal as a singleentry point to various mediums to access media content, the portal iscomprised of a plurality of zones, which set forth particular categoriesof the experience. For example, when characters are created, it isdetermined how they might or might not be associated with particularzones, and storylines are created while considering how it relates to azone in the overall storyline. Further, as described in further detailbelow, different sponsorships can be affiliated with particular zones.

FIGS. 3C and 3D each provide a template of charts for different mediumsemployed to deliver content for the storyline. The template provides,for a given medium, a description of the medium and the general purposeassociated with the medium, and a series of implementation methods andexamples. As can be seen, the template in FIG. 3C identifies aparticular medium category—RADIO, and in the “Implementation Methods andExamples” section, four different genres of radio stations are provided:High School Station, College Radio Station, Religious Radio Station, andAdult Contemporary Station. These stations will be available forconsumers to actually experience to access content via web radio. Duringthe process of creating the storyline, a description is provided foreach of these types of stations and how they are anticipated to be usedin the context of the storyline.

As an example, if the storyline includes characters who are in highschool, a “High School Station” can be provided to deliver news andinformation from a high school student's perspective, delivered by “highschool-aged DJ's.” The station can also include advertisements andsponsorship from real corporate sponsors, as will be explained infurther detail below with reference to FIG. 4. The audience will be ableto “tune in” to the station throughout the week, perhaps betweentelevision episodes, to continue enjoying the storyline from thisperspective.

FIG. 3D is a chart for the “E-MAIL” delivery medium. A chart such asthose shown in FIGS. 3C and 3D can be created for each conceivabledelivery medium (e.g., websites, newspapers, e-mail, post mail, etc.) toplan and organize how events and subplots will be delivered to theaudience in different formats.

FIG. 3E is a template of a chart of a twelve month story development andimplementation plan, in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention, with exemplary entries provided therein. The templateprovides, for each month, a brief summary of the most significantdevelopments of the storyline. This template organizes the timing andflow of the story, so that at a glance, the creators can organizedevelopments to be continually interesting, realistic, and notoverwhelming to the intended audience. As can be seen in the exampleprovided in FIG. 3E is an overview of a storyline about the developmentof a small town, which will be described in greater detail below.

FIG. 3F is a template of a chart of a three month story development andimplementation plan, in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention, with exemplary entries provided therein. The templateprovides, for each of three months, a brief summary of the mostsignificant developments of the storyline. As with the template in FIG.3E but with greater detail, this template organizes the timing and flowof the story to organize developments. FIG. 3F is also an overview of astoryline about the development of a character within a small town.

FIGS. 3G and 3H are examples of a template of a chart of a weekly storydevelopment and implementation plan, in accordance with an embodiment ofthe present invention, with exemplary entries provided therein. Theimplementation of this template are directed to creating an integratedentertainment experience, in that the templates specify what aspects ofthe storyline (or segment) will be presented for each of the pluralityof mediums that are available to the audience. Depending upon thestoryline, weekly implementation plans may be created for a plotassociated with a particular character or event. As can be seen in FIG.3F, the template is directed to plot and events associated with acharacter named “Bean,” about which a certain news story is presented onThursday and Tuesday, and a television program provides storyline aboutthe character on Thursday to air the following week.

Finally, FIG. 3I is an example of a One Day Story Development andImplementation Plan. As can be seen, for each half-hour, the story isprovided and delivery mediums are identified (e.g., radio update) toplan the scheduling of content.

The templates of implementation plans provided in FIGS. 3A-3H arespecific to a particular storyline developed for an integratedentertainment experience, but will also vary in format and substanceaccording to the plot, characters, theme, type of events, and mediumsthat are selected for presentation to an audience. Even within aparticular storyline, the format of the implementation plans may vary atdifferent times within the development of the story. For example, in adramatic series, there may be several consecutive episodes where oneparticular character lives through a major event or crisis. During thattime, comparably more events will be planned to provide related contentfor different mediums concerning that aspect of the storyline.Accordingly implementation plans may be created specifically for thatcharacter or situation, whereas that might not be done during othertimes throughout the dramatic series.

Integrated Marketing and Advertising

As described above, with rising production costs it has becomeincreasingly challenging for networks to receive sufficient revenue fromcorporate sponsorship to cover the costs of the show and ensureprofitability. Creating an integrated entertainment experience thatutilizes a plurality of mediums can be significantly more expensive thanconventional television programming, since programming is required forseveral mediums in addition to television, such as websites, web radio,organizing live appearances, etc. To provide an enriching integratedexperience, not only must scripts be prepared for a television series,but content must be continually updated and coordinated for othermediums.

Although the costs of production for providing an integratedentertainment experience may be exceed that for conventional televisionprograms, each different medium that is programmed to provide relatedmedia content provides additional avenues for generating revenue, eitherthrough corporate sponsorship or direct marketing. In addition to, orinstead of, the traditional 30-second television commercial break,sponsors can place advertisements on websites that are associated withthe show, or incorporate advertising on web radio mediums, e-newspapers,etc. Instead of reaching a consumer once a week during a commercialbreak in an episode of a television program, a corporate sponsor canprovide advertisements and marketing information throughout the week ascontent relating to an aspect of the storyline is provided for differentmediums.

In conventional television advertising, corporate sponsors generallyselect to advertise during commercial breaks of television programs thatare popular with a certain demographic group that the sponsor seeks toreach. As an example, it would not necessarily be cost-effective for acompany that markets mountain bikes to advertise during a televisionprogram that is generally recognized as appealing only to seniorcitizens. However, even if a corporate sponsor selects to advertiseduring a program that is popular with a desired demographics group, itis not possible to schedule advertising during a particular time periodthat the storyline in the television program relates to or concerns theproducts that the sponsor seeks to advertise. Continuing with the sameexample, if a “zone” or aspect of a television storyline concerned acharacter who took a mountain biking trip, it would not be possible, orat least practical, to select a particular commercial break in thetelevision program that is closest in time to the mountain bikingactivity on the program.

By creating an integrated entertainment experience across a plurality ofmediums, however, particular subplots or events can be provided inparticular mediums to enable consumers who are interested in that aspectof the storyline to continue seeking related entertainment media. If thesubject matter of the subplot or event is of interest to an existing orprospective corporate sponsor, that sponsor can provide advertisingdirectly on that medium or otherwise within the storyline itself, at thetime when the corresponding subject matter will be provided to theaudience. In this manner, the corporate sponsor maximizes the benefit ofthe advertising, since it is most likely to be viewed by thoseinterested in the subject matter.

Continuing further with the example provided above, in a system forproviding an integrated entertainment experience, consumers who watcheda television program that included a segment of the storyline aboutmountain biking may be referred (expressly or indirectly) to thecharacter's “mountain biking website,” where the character uploaded homevideos from the trip. This website could include an advertisement fromthe mountain biking manufacturing company as a sponsor, therebyproviding a captive audience with an obvious interest in the subjectmatter. In the meantime, audience members who are interested in thesubject matter will want to access this website to continue followingalong with a different aspect of the storyline to further enrich theentertainment experience of the show.

In conventional television advertising, television shows are firstcreated, and corporate sponsors then choose whether to advertise on theshow. Although this model can continue to be successfully utilized whenadvertising on one or more mediums in an integrated media programmingformat, it is also possible to first receive advertising commitments andthen tailor different aspects of the storyline to incorporate subjectmatter relating to the advertising. Continuing once again with theabove-provided example, upon executing an advertising contract for amountain biking manufacturer, the storyline can be edited to incorporatea “zone” or subplot relating to mountain biking. A medium can thenprovide mountain biking-related content as a separate event, and themountain biking company can advertise on this medium.

In another embodiment, instead of providing traditional advertisingthrough a medium, corporate sponsors can become characters within thestoryline to improve brand identity, recognition and loyalty. Forexample, the Chairman of Ford Motor Company can become an occasionalcelebrity guest within the storyline, where he will interact withcharacters in the storyline. The process of “putting a face” on thecompany and further, including the company within the context of theshow, can be an effective form of marketing for the company and thusprovide profitable sponsorship revenue for the producer of theintegrated entertainment experience. To further permeate the characteraffiliated with the sponsor into the consumer's experience, mediacontent that includes the sponsor can be programmed within multiplemediums.

As another embodiment for securing additional corporate sponsorshiprevenue utilizing programming in an integrated media format, storylinescan be created such that a company's products or services are marketedfor sale directly to the audience over different peripheral mediums. Byincorporating the product or service as part of the storyline, the showlends credibility, brand recognition, and entertainment value to theproduct or service, thereby increasing interest by the audience.

Slightly altering the example provided above, when the character fromthe television program returns from his mountain biking trip, he thendecides to take a job at a bicycle shop. One of his tasks is to create awebsite for the bicycle shop. Quite naturally, an actual website thencan be created at the URL specified by the character, and the content ofthe website can be synchronized with that provided on the televisionprogram. In this manner, audience members can directly participate inthe integrated entertainment experience by purchasing items directlyfrom the website, thereby providing a retail outlet for the programsponsor.

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram of exemplary steps for inserting sponsorshipinto a storyline in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention. In step 400, an account for corporate sponsorship is receivedduring the course of an ongoing program series. Each storyline andassociated character(s) is then analyzed in step 402 to determinewhether to associate the corporate sponsor with that subplot In step404, each storyline and/or character(s) is associated with acompatibility ranking, which can be a subjective determination basedessentially upon how realistic it would be to modify or develop thestoryline to incorporate the corporate sponsor's marketing or retailactivity. Once an appropriate match is made in step 406, a new storylineis created in step 408 to incorporate the corporate sponsor. A medium isthen selected in step 410 for providing the sponsorship information incontext with the new storyline. If the sponsor seeks to retail goods andservices within the show directly (e.g., store selling mountain bikeparts), a retailing web site is created within the context of the newstoryline, and a referral may be scripted for a television episode tobring the audience to the website. If the sponsor seeks to place anadvertisement, then an event is created in a medium and an advertisementis inserted into the event. Finally, if the sponsor seeks to become acharacter on the show, then the storylines are modified to include newcontent programming.

Example of a Series for Providing an Integrated Entertainment Experience

a. Overview

Boonsburg™ is a fictional small town of about 5,000 residents located inthe rural back hills of northwestern New Jersey. The former “Egg Basketof Sussex County,” Boonsburg is one of the last places in America tostill hold fishing contests, bake sales, county fairs, etc. And likemany small towns, Boonsburg is stuck in the past.

Upon entering the new millennium, Boonsburg's Mayor realizes that overthe next 100 years the most endangered species in America is not ananimal or plant, but small town America and its simpler way of life,which in Boonsburg's case is threatened by many things—technologicaladvances, business changes, ever-shortening generation gaps—but mostspecifically, by two massive “mega chain” type stores that just openedwithin the county. Like a modern David and Goliath tale, the Mayordecides not to give up without a fight. She urges each and everyresident, young and old, to pitch in to help take their beloved littleburg into the 21^(st) century by setting up and running their own townwebsite: “Boonsburg.com.”

The site will feature everything the town has to offer: shopping,movies, plays, newspapers, night club entertainment, banking, garagesales, car dealerships, fund raisers, insurance, stocks, night school,concerts, Town Council meetings, pharmacies, book stores, collegeclasses, radio, auctions, public access cable, parades, electronics,computers, etc. As the Mayor sees it, this is a “do or die” situation.If the people won't come to Boonsburg, then we'll bring Boonsburg to thepeople.

b. “Boonsburg.com”—The Television Show

While speaking to Boonsburg College students enrolled in teacher RichHalke's writing class, Carmen Finestra, Co-Creator and ExecutiveProducer of television's “Home Improvement,” is asked if he thought hecould write a hit TV show about a hokey little town just like Boonsburgthat goes online. Carmen laughs and says he wouldn't have to write it,because it's already happening. Since the reality of this little towntaking on the world is already hilarious, a regular “Green Acres meetsMicrosoft,” all he'd do is round up the college's film students and havethem start capturing documentary footage of everyone in town doing theirpart. Carmen declares, “It's already got that life or death strugglebuilt right in, and since no one really knows if your efforts will savethe town or not, it's even better than ‘Survivor.’ Film that and I'dpersonally take it to the network.”

Thus, “Boonsburg.com” becomes a half hour comedy about the trials andtribulations of a group of small town Americans who make a stand bytaking their tiny town online to save it, then suddenly find themselvesthrown into the center of a hurricane—one they are ill prepared tohandle. They inadvertently become the poster children of the newhigh-tech revolution—and let's just say they “ain't” exactly what BillGates had in mind!

The TV show has the look of a living documentary—with a raw footagefeel, between “Cops” and MTV's “Real World”—chronicling their dailystruggles. It's presented in a never ending stream of interconnectedstories and events, all according to the calendar of what really happensat that time of year in every small town in America. Viewers will swearBoonsburg is a real place and that these events are actually happeningat that moment. It's the first show of its kind to literally mirror thelives of Americans in small towns and hold them up as heroes for thegood they do in their communities.

Since the characters' lives don't stop at the end of an episode, theshow, primarily through its online community, utilizes all forms ofstorytelling—television, streamed internet audio and video, newspapers,webcams, commerce, e-mail, etc.—to continue the lives of the charactersbeyond the traditional borders presented by the television screen. Thisgives viewers the chance to step inside a character's “reality,” to feellike an actual member of the Boonsburg community, and at times they mayeven be able to interact with the characters as real people.

“Boonsburg.com” is the first television experience that is “programmed”24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Wherever the characters'interests take them, viewers can follow. If a character loves to singkaraoke every Thursday night at a local club, then come Thursday,viewers will have the ability to watch that character sing—badly ofcourse—during that club's regularly scheduled Thursday night webcast. Inthe next television episode when that character is heard bragging abouthow great he did, viewers will know the truth because they were there.

However, unlike other television shows which present the “TV show” asthe end product, the “Boonsburg.com” TV show is actually the supportingmaterial for the greater Boonsburg.com experience, online community andall. Like shows done in the early days of television (“Colgate ComedyHour,” “Texaco Star Theater”), the “Boonsburg.com” TV show acts as anentertaining weekly advertisement leading viewers directly back to its“sponsor,” which in this case is the town's website: “Boonsburg.com.”The show's stories and the website's stories are in perfect sync—oneleads to the other and then back again.

c. The “Boonsburg.com” Online Community

The “Boonsburg.com” TV show is the portal that gives viewers a 30 minuteweekly peek into the larger Boonsburg.com experience. Simply put, it isthe catalyst which drives viewers to take part in the entertainingonline community and check up on the “real lives” of the people they arewatching on the show. For example, when viewers visit the Boonsburg.comwebsite they can choose to hear the local news for that day by selectingone of the town's radio stations to listen to while they surf—supplyingmusic, town news and advertisements just like a real station anywhere.

However, unlike other stations, viewers are actually listening toprogramming the characters have access too and are a part of. This isunique because by having access to the characters' media andexperiencing things as they do, if what a viewer hears, reads or seeschanges them, it changes the characters too. If viewers would like tosurf other websites outside the Boonsburg.com community they'll have theoption to continue listening to their Boonsburg.com radio station simplyby taking it with them—thereby allowing viewers to continually “live”within the Boonsburg.com world no matter where they access it from—home,school, or work.

Considering that news changes throughout the day in real towns, eachtime a viewer checks in with one of the Boonsburg.com radio stations,something new will be happening. For example, a station might reportthat a pizza delivery vehicle has just been stolen. Later, it mightreport that the stolen pizza delivery vehicle has been involved in anaccident and is now sticking into the side of someone's house, trappingthe driver. Later, through “on the scene” reports, listeners may hearthat the Fire Department is using the “Jaws of Life” to extricate thedriver . . . who just so happens to be a bear. A eye witness, AndyUnanue of Goya Foods, who was on his way to speak on the town's LectureSeries, might be interviewed saying, “It was heading straight for mewhen suddenly the bear swerved and ended up driving into that lady'sliving room.” The next day, Andy Unanue of Goya Foods is pictured on thefront page of “The Boonsburg Post” under the headline “Bear Saves Man'sLife.”

The driving bear story may dominate all of the town's media for severaldays and carry over from radio, to cable, to newspapers, to chat, andend up being covered in the next episode of “Boonsburg.com” on TV. Oncethat story has petered out of the town's media system and beenforgotten, weeks later it can creep back in simply by having “TheBoonsburg Post” carry a photo of the Chief of the Fire Departmentholding a ten thousand dollar check made out to the New Jersey StateBurn Center, compliments of Goya Foods. It seems Andy was so impressedwith the skill and dedication of the volunteers, he wanted to givesomething back to the firefighters. He also sent along a five hundreddollar check to help take care of his new buddy, the driving bear—which,it just so happens, the Grammar School kids have been holding a “Namethe Bear” online competition.

As happens in real life, multiple forms of media cover specific eventsin their own respective manners. Realizing that there are other ways totell stories besides TV, the Boonsburg.com experience—through its onlinecommunity—syncs up those other ways with its half hour TV show todeliver stories that take entertainment, and this new medium, to newheights.

d. The Personal Touch

The magic of the Boonsburg.com experience is that through utilizing andsyncing up all available forms of storytelling to act as one largerunit, the viewers are kept up to date on all happenings in and aroundBoonsburg—a community they get to interact with and which they believeis actually alive. As more choices become available to supply storytelling information, such as the high school students starting their ownunderground Internet radio station, or the local churches bandingtogether to offer Internet radio listeners a more spiritually appealingstation, the more personal the experience becomes to viewers by allowingthem to hear, see, and learn about things from people in the communitywho are like them—and in many cases, represent their personalconvictions.

An entire family might sit down each week to watch the TV show together,but because they accessed the online community as individuals, no twomembers will have the same experience. For example, since each listenedto radio stations that represented their personal tastes in music, thenews they heard was not reported in the exact same way as a station forthose with different tastes. What the high school station may havereported as a victory for the young people of the town, the easylistening station may have reported as a defeat, and the religiousstation may not have reported at all finding nothing about the story tobe newsworthy.

The entertainment that family watched via club cams may have ranged fromthe coffeehouse's “Open Mike Poetry Night” to another club's “BluegrassThursday” or even a “live” performance of the town's barbershop quartet.Their choices of local public access shows broadcast via Boonsburg Cablemight have been just as eclectic, so that by the next time the entirefamily joins to watch the following week's episode, different memberswill personally connect with different things featured in that episodeall because of what they experienced on their own particular journey.Even though the show represents multiple age groups, each age group willswear that this show is about them.

e. Welcome Neighbor!

Move into “Boonsburg.com” and you'll get an e-mail address—which, by theway, will correspond with a real characters house intown—JDoe8OakSt@Boonsburg.com. Upon becoming a virtual resident, youreceive a welcome basket from the town—filled with coupons—andoccasional town announcements. You also receive e-mailed home deliveryof “The Boonsburg Post”—your paper girl is a character on the show, sodon't forget to tip. The paper offers coverage of local news events:fires, elections, floods, local color with pictures, parades, plays,upcoming events—everything that happens in any small town paper happensin Boonsburg's. Like any real paper there are advertisements andcoupons—just print them out and take them to the store, or click them toshop online.

During an episode you might see a character driving down a street andturn into your house's driveway—and you realize your address is actuallytheir address. One day you see your house on the front page of “TheBoonsburg Post” covered in toilet paper—“Halloween Vandals StrikeAgain.” The police department e-mails you and all the virtual tenantswho share that same e-mail address not to worry, since they're on thecase.

Another time you find your house pictured in the paper as the secondplace winner in the “Best Holiday Decorations” competition, though youbelieve that the owner who did all the work really should have placedfirst. A few months later during a webcamed Town Council meeting,residents complain because—as a form of protest—the owner of your houserefuses to take down his lights. “The Boonsburg Post” covers this sagaas it unfolds throughout the year, splitting the town between those infavor of your lights and those against. The owner may even install hisown webcam online so that he can show the house's lights to the worldfor the entire year. Come December, as the town makes its way toward thehouse to re judge the year old decorations, the owner blows a fuse.

As that week's episode ends, you see the Fire Department rush off to putout a fire—as they pull up to the structure you realize it's your house!In the next day's “The Boonsburg Post” you read that it was just minorsmoke damage—seems without electricity the owner put a candle in thewindow and it torched the drapes. All the residents who share thate-mail address receive an e-mail from the Fire Chief commending yourvirtual landlord on his bravery for trying to contain the fire beforethey arrived, but letting you and he know it's not wise to endanger yourown safety. The Chief then outlines proper fire procedure people shouldfollow in the future. Everyone at your virtual address receives e-mailsfrom neighbors offering help, as well as the town's insurance companytrying to sell you on their services. Welcome to the neighborhood!

f. “And Now, A Word from our Sponsors . . . ”

Each year on January 1^(st) residents of Boonsburg receive an e-mailreminding them to change the batteries in their smokedetectors—sponsored by a battery company and with coupons attached.You'll begin to notice there are no banner ads within “Boonsburg.com.”Instead, every ad is placed within the story context of theenvironment—what we refer to as “contextvertising.”

For instance, if there is an ad for “Guess Jeans” in the high school'sonline paper, “The Mutant,” it's not just a carelessly placed bannersaying ‘BUY GUESS JEANS.’ Instead, the ad is carefully woven into thereality of the larger community, and mentions not only the product, butalso the store in town carrying the product being advertised. More thanlikely the owner of the store is a character you know from the show. Soads like “Molly's Fashions on Main—Featuring 10% Off Guess Jeans” willbe the norm, not the exception.

g. Meet the Neighbors

Viewers can also enjoy the array of personal, colorful websitesmaintained by town residents. These range from Earl's “Aliens andConspiracy” page to the “Boonsburg Cards and Gifts” site where Dottycontinuously offers free online e-cards of her dressed in crazy outfitsand singing—perfect for all occasions, or not. Dotty also maintains thetown's Dating Service page, because, as she says of herself: “I need aman.” Now her questions are a bit crazy, and her “5 Wigs Up” matchesturn out to be duds, but it's a hoot to join just to see who she fixesyou up with. Plus, if you do e-mail your “match,” it's easy to break theice by saying “Dotty said we should talk . . . ”

h. Boonsburg Live

Viewers have the chance to watch live events happening in the Boonsburgarea: concerts, plays, talent shows, County Teen Arts Festival, parades,The County Fair, sporting events, softball games between local bars,Queen of the Fair Pageant, etc. These events give viewers the chance tofeel like a member of the community and experience small town life fromthe inside.

Viewers can also check in on the town via multiple live webcams whichhave been set up by the Town Council to show the world what the townlooks like. You'll see cars driving by, people walking downstreets—occasionally a character might walk by. Others might include thetown's weather cam, Steamer restoration cam, Earl's “Aliens in the Sky”cam, the intersection of Main Street and Clara Road (which just happensto capture the town's one and only car chase involving a stolenBudweiser truck parked on Jeremy Lane, giving Budweiser significantexposure). These static webcams are not focused on individuals, butinstead are focused on specific town elements to establish the town inyour mind as a constant, believable place where real people live.

Another live activity viewers can enjoy are the lectures given byvarious authors, carried live from the town's bookstore. One week youmay see Kurt Vonnegut online, next week might be a local writer,followed then by Toni Morrison.

i. “See Me, Hear Me . . . ”

Viewers can also listen in on Town Council meetings, as well as otherspecial interest groups in the town like the Historical Society, PTA,Chamber of Commerce, Theater Company, etc. By witnessing the innerworkings of Boonsburg in action, it reinforces the viewer's belief thatBoonsburg is a real town and that the characters actually exist.

Viewers might also become fans of the town's local access cable showsmade by local students. Programs star local talent like the dwarf gymteacher, overweight slob of a chef, tough female woodshop teacher, andare done by the students themselves. Or you might be interested inseeing how the high school, in an effort to contribute programming tothe site, carries its morning video announcements online.

j. The Out-of-Towners

To help with the town's efforts, the college invites barons of industryto speak to the residents as part of its weekly lecture series, which isalso carried on the web, giving them insights regarding how to succeedin business. Tom Mendiburu, the county's premiere entrepreneur who isalso supporting the town's online efforts, kicks things off. Anotherweek viewers may hear the President of M&M Mars, which is located in thenext county. The following week it might be Andy Unanue, COO of GoyaFoods, who just so happens shows up late to the lecture because of acertain run in with a certain driving bear.

The lecture series gives businesses a chance to step in and actuallysupport the town's efforts, thereby putting a face on a facelesscorporation. It also gives them wonderful press, seeing how they arethere to help out the little guy. Plus, each visiting lecturer offers tohelp the Mayor, all she has to do is call—and you can bet in thefollowing weeks she will! While in the market, she might call AndyUnanue of Goya and ask which bean would go best with her chili, or shemight call and pull Bill Ford, CEO of Ford, out of an important meetingso that he can explain Ford's new lease package to her friend Eloise. Atfirst the executives grit their teeth, but it becomes a running gag howthey drop whatever they're doing just to explain the simplest task toBoonsburg's Mayor.

k. Neighborhood Watch

Keeping a protective watch over all in the community is a key part ofthe Boonsburg.com experience. Whenever viewers visit the site they'llsee a photo from the National Missing and Exploited Children Network inthe corner of the homepage, asking “Have You Seen Me?,” becausecommunity is worldwide in Boonsburg. The Boonsburg Police Departmentalso has a virtual presence so the town can stay safe for all to enjoy.

Additionally, the town has its own built-in chaperone—since small townskeep it clean, the site reflects that same philosophy. The high schoolstudents create a “CyberChaperone” based on their teacher, Freddie, whofilms a segment each week where he dresses up as a large Cuban woman andgives her “Chaperone's State of the Union” Address. Since she considersherself the “Protector” of the young, the CyberChaperone scolds kids forbeing “bad”—a very funny piece of weekly online content. She eventuallycarries over to other areas of the online world—if anyone tries to postdirty content in chat rooms, the CyberChaperone suddenly appears andsays “Stop being bad or I will tell your mother or legal guardian.” Shemight even follow up by sending an e-mail to their town address lettingthem know that “Big Sister is Watching.”

l. Bienvenidos a Boonsburg Amigos Nuestros!

Since the town's website is maintained with the help of BoonsburgCollege (with one of the best language programs on the East Coast),everything will be translated into multiple languages by the college'slanguage majors: Spanish, Japanese, French, German, etc. The onlinecommunity experience will be able to be enjoyed around the world at theexact same time, achieving what the Boonsburg Town Council set out todo—bringing in new business from around the world!

m. “I Still Don't Know what You're Going to do Next Summer”

When the TV season stops in May, the TV show ceases production (sinceall of the student cameramen and women are on summer break); however,the website continues throughout the summer, remaining alive and fullyfunctional. As in real life it never stops—its characters, like realpeople, never stop living either. One of the many things viewers will beable to see online over the summer—while other shows are simply airingreruns—will be our very own Miss Boonsburg actually competing in thereal “Sussex County Farm and Horse Show's Queen of the Fair Pageant”against contestants from neighboring towns.

When the TV show returns at the end of September, it won't simply pickup right were it left off in May like shows of today do. Instead, itwill pick up right at the point were the website is at that exactmoment. The show falls right back into perfect sync with the websiteuntil next summer, when it repeats the process all over again. In thisway the site dictates the TV show, the TV show does not dictate thesite.

n. Be Careful what You Wish for

“Boonsburg.com” tells the story of a group of regular, small townAmericans who set out to save their beloved town. But along the way aninteresting thing happens—the town inadvertently ends up havingovernight fame thrust upon itself and its residents.

Imagine if all the fame that fell upon the participants of “Survivor”after the show ended had actually occurred during the filming of theshow. What if dealing with that type of overnight fame was actually partof the original concept? What would have happened if, during filming,Colby suddenly became the most popular person on the show by the secondweek—and he knew it as it was happening? How would the others begin toreact?

What would happen if, because of his fame, Colby left the show for a dayto go off and film a Nike commercial? Would the others be jealous andtreat him differently? Would they try to boot him off the show and ruinany chance he might have to gain even greater fame? And, since all ofhis fame exists because he is “on” the show, what steps would he take toinsure that he stays “on” the show, thereby insuring his fame willcontinue? Now just imagine if “Survivor” took place in a smalltown—leave the town and lose the fame.

Boonsburg.com is an experience that actually has two separate stories.The first is that of the daily trials and tribulations of a group ofsmall town Americans pitching in to save their community—this isconsistent with TV story telling of today. The second, and even largerstory, is the one viewed from above and over time. It's the story of howregular people react to fame, what they do with it, how it affectsthem—and, once they've got it, are they ever willing to give it up? Fameis America's number one export. If Andy Warhol is correct that everyonegets their 15 minutes of fame, to what lengths would people go to turnthat 15 minutes of fame into an hour, a day, a month, a year, or alifetime?

o. The Goal

By starting out with a normal American small town—which, of course, isbehind the times and still innocent—and adding complications, such asname brand chain store businesses who see the website and want to cometo town, the viewer gets the opportunity to watch prosperity affect thelives of the town's inhabitants. They watch as it helps some but hurtsothers—like the tiny hardware store which can't handle the competitionand disappears, taking its owner, a volunteer fireman, and his entirefamily out of the community.

By simply upsetting the town's normal balance the residents are forcedto try to keep up with a world that's changing faster then they canadjust—a world where volunteers are disappearing faster then they can bereplaced, a world that's changing because VIEWERS are causing it tochange simply by using Boonsburg.com's services. And, as has beenhappening across the country, little by little the small town everyoneknows and loves begins to give way to big city influences. In theprocess of seeking prosperity the town of Boonsburg ends up losing whatit set out to protect in the first place—its people.

p. Which Came First: The TV Show or the Website?

For those who only view the TV show and never sees the website, theywon't feel like—or even know—they're missing out on anything since theTV show is a great half-hour with or without the website. The same goesfor the website—even if one never sees the TV show, there's enoughentertainment and functionality there to keep a viewer hooked and comingback for more. But if a viewer experiences BOTH of them together, THATwill truly be a whole new level of entertainment.

q. The Never Ending “Boonsburg.com” Integrated Entertainment Experience

Imagine watching your favorite show on television and being able to signup for the same adult college extension course being taken by yourfavorite character. On the specified night you attend the weeklysimulcast of the class via the web and actually see the character enterthe classroom and take a seat. During the lecture she asks questions. Ina later episode of the show you hear her groan about a particularlytough homework assignment—the same one you're stuck on. In anotherepisode you notice that she seems to be coming down with a cold, thenyou find she's absent from the next web class. Concerned, you drop her a“get well soon” e-mail card from “Boonsburg Cards and Gifts”—and sheresponds happily. When you complete the course, you find your namelisted online right, next to hers as successful graduates. During alater episode you hear her quote a passage from a book you read inclass, and you're the only one in your family who knows where she gotit. This type of personal experience is just the tip of the iceberg ofwhat can be—the possibilities are endless.

The foregoing disclosure of embodiments of the present invention andspecific examples illustrating the present invention have been presentedfor purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to beexhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed.Many variations and modifications of the embodiments described hereinwill be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art in light of theabove disclosure. The scope of the invention is to be defined only bythe claimed appended hereto, and by their equivalents.

1. A method of integrating media programming of a storyline among aplurality of mediums, comprising: creating a plurality of segments in astoryline; selecting, for each segment of the storyline, at least onemedium from among a plurality of mediums by which media content relatingto the segment is to be provided, wherein each medium of the pluralityof mediums represents a different mode for delivery of the media contentin a different format, and wherein no single medium is selected forcapturing all media content in the storyline; and programming eachsegment's selected medium with media content relating to the segment,and wherein programming of the selected mediums is synchronized suchthat media content that is accessed via different mediums at a giventime period relates to one or more events that occur in the storylineduring the given time period.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein one ormore of the selected mediums are accessible via a portal.
 3. The methodof claim 2, wherein, for a selected medium whose programmed mediacontent is not accessible via the portal, the location of the selectedmedium is referenced in another segment in the storyline.
 4. The methodof claim 1, wherein media content programmed in each selected medium isprogrammed to be available for a duration of time such that thestoryline is experienced by accessing any subset of selected mediums inany order.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein a plurality of mediums areselected to provide media content relating to a segment, and whereineach of the plurality of mediums provides media content in a differentformat.
 6. The method of claim 5, wherein the media content for theselected plurality of mediums is programmed to be available duringoverlapping time periods such that the storyline is experienced byaccessing any subset of the selected plurality of mediums in any order.7. The method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of mediums areadditionally programmed with media content for segments of otherstorylines in a program series, and wherein the programming of mediacontent in each of the plurality of mediums is synchronized such thatsegments relating to a same time period in each of the storylines can beexperienced by consumers during the same time period.
 8. A method ofintegrating media programming of a storyline among a plurality ofmediums, comprising: creating a cast of characters for performing atleast one storyline, wherein the storyline comprises a plurality ofsegments; selecting, for each segment of the at least one storyline, atleast one medium from among a plurality of mediums for providing mediacontent relating to at least one activity of at least one character ofthe cast of characters, wherein each medium of the plurality of mediumsrepresents a different mode for delivery of the media content in adifferent format, and wherein no single medium is selected for capturingall media content in the at least one storyline; and programming eachsegment's selected medium with media content relating to at least oneactivity of at least one character from the cast of characters, andwherein programming of the selected mediums is synchronized such thatmedia content that is accessed via different mediums at a given timeperiod relates to one or more activities that occur in the at least onestoryline during the given time period.
 9. The method of claim 8,wherein a subset of the plurality of mediums further comprise aplurality of sub-mediums, and wherein each sub-medium is programmed withmedia content relating to a different perspective of the at least onestoryline.
 10. The method of claim 8, wherein the cast of charactersincludes real and fictional characters.
 11. The method of claim 10,wherein at least one character of the cast of characters is associatedwith a product or service from a corporate sponsor, and wherein mediacontent relating to the at least one storyline incorporates one or moreactivities by the at least one character that provide brandidentification or product marketing for the corporate sponsor.